Scotland on Sunday Letters

In Scotland more than 30,000 crimes, including murders and rapes, were committed in only three years by offenders who were out on bail.

Justice Secretary Keith Brown says Scottish jails face overcrowding (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The SNP are planning to give early release to prisoners due to overcrowding. Some of Scotland's leading judges have openly criticised the SNP-dominated Scottish Government for plans to free criminals from prison after serving only a third of their sentence. The public are demanding real justice, not soft touch justice. The public can show their anger by not voting for SNP candidates in the Scottish council elections on 5 May 2022.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Pandemic panic

“Science is a reserved issue” complains Devi Sridhar in promoting her new book on the pandemic (‘UK-wide vaccine advice does not work for Scots’ says Sridhar, 27 March). And why shouldn't it be? Science does not change between Berwick and Bournemouth and neither do viruses. Prof Sridhar may have been frustrated that 12-15 year olds were not vaccinated as she advocated, but then science is a matter of evidence, not advocacy, and her chair is in public health, not virology. The evidence is vaccines do not stop the spread of Covid but do vastly reduce the worst effects (as we are seeing now) and that unless they have other conditions, 12-15 years were always at very low risk from Covid. Prof Sridhar also advocated “zero Covid”, which is not credible, after all the Spanish Flu strain is still with us over a century later.

A better topic for her book would be how the pandemic empowered public health experts to voice their opinions over actual science and why that should never happen again.

(Dr) SJ Clark, Edinburgh

Uncomfortable truth

It beggars' belief there are still people out there who think the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon are doing a great job in Scotland, just as some people on the streets of Moscow think Vladimar Putin is doing a great job for Russia.

Apathy among voters may be a factor in both cases, but I fear many choose to look the other way rather than admit to an uncomfortable truth.

Allan Thompson, Bearsden, Glasgow

Poles apart

On being told by Aberdeenshire Council to remove pro-separatist signage from his garden, erected without planning consent, Alex Salmond asks “how much money [has been] wasted on this bureaucratic silliness?” Many ask the same question about the SNP administration under his and his successor's leadership.

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire

Prince should go

I was appalled to see Prince Andrew taking a public role in leading the Queen in a tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh. There is no place left in the public domain for Prince Andrew as he has been deleted from royal duties. He would do better by becoming a total recluse as the British public have no wish ever to see him again.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, Bucksburn, Aberdeen

Record breakers

Isn't it interesting how the SNP can list every party at Downing St, every Tory mistake, going back years. Yet, when it comes to explaining where £5 billion of Covid money went, they cannot. Where are the records for the ferry fiasco – oops, can’t be found. Not very good, is it!

William Ballantine, Bo'ness, West Lothian

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